Self-aligned process

ABSTRACT

Methods of forming self-aligned structures on patterned substrates are described. The methods may be used to form metal lines or vias without the use of a separate photolithography pattern definition operation. Self-aligned contacts may be produced regardless of the presence of spacer elements. The methods include directionally ion-implanting a gapfill portion of a gapfill silicon oxide layer to implant into the gapfill portion without substantially ion-implanting the remainder of the gapfill silicon oxide layer (the sidewalls). Subsequently, a remote plasma is formed using a fluorine-containing precursor to etch the patterned substrate such that the gapfill portions of silicon oxide are selectively etched relative to other exposed portions exposed parallel to the ion implantation direction. Without ion implantation, the etch operation would be isotropic owing to the remote nature of the plasma excitation during the etch process.

FIELD

The present invention relates to self-aligned processes.

BACKGROUND

Integrated circuits are made possible by processes which produce intricately patterned material layers on substrate surfaces. Producing patterned material on a substrate is enabled by controlled methods for removal of exposed material. Chemical etching is used for a variety of purposes including transferring a pattern in photoresist into underlying layers, thinning layers or thinning lateral dimensions of features already present on the surface. Often it is desirable to have an etch process which etches one material faster than another helping e.g. a pattern transfer process proceed. Such an etch process is said to be selective of the first material relative to the second material. As a result of the diversity of materials, circuits and processes, etch processes have been developed with a selectivity towards a variety of materials.

Dry etch processes are often desirable for selectively removing material from semiconductor substrates. The desirability stems from the ability to gently remove material from miniature structures with minimal physical disturbance. Dry etch processes also allow the etch rate to be abruptly stopped by removing the gas phase reagents. Some dry-etch processes involve the exposure of a substrate to remote plasma by-products formed from one or more precursors. For example, remote plasma generation of nitrogen trifluoride in combination with ion suppression techniques enables silicon to be selectively removed from a patterned substrate when the plasma effluents are flowed into the substrate processing region.

Methods are needed to broaden process flexibility for dry etch processes.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Methods of forming self-aligned structures on patterned substrates are described. The methods may be used to form metal lines or vias without the use of a separate photolithography pattern definition operation. Self-aligned contacts may be produced in dimensions constrained by a spacer element but also along dimensions unconstrained by spacer elements. The methods include directionally ion-implanting a gapfill portion of a gapfill silicon oxide layer to implant downward into the gapfill portion without substantially ion-implanting the remainder of the gapfill silicon oxide layer (the sidewalls). Subsequently, a remote plasma is formed using a fluorine-containing precursor to etch the patterned substrate such that exposed horizontal portions (the gapfill portions) of the gapfill silicon oxide layer are selectively etched relative to other exposed portions aligned with the ion implantation direction. Without ion implantation, the etch operation would be isotropic owing to the remote nature of the plasma excitation during the etch process.

Embodiments of the invention include methods of etching a patterned substrate. The methods include ion implanting the patterned substrate. Ion implanting the patterned substrate includes ion implanting an exposed bottom portion of a gap in a silicon oxide layer on the patterned substrate. The exposed bottom portion and an exposed sidewall portion of the gap each comprise silicon oxide. The methods further include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into a remote plasma region fluidly coupled to a substrate processing region by way of a showerhead while forming a remote plasma in the remote plasma region to produce plasma effluents. The methods further include flowing a hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing precursor into the substrate processing region without first passing the hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing precursor through the remote plasma region. The hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing precursor includes an O—H bond. The methods further include combining the plasma effluents with the hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing precursor in the substrate processing region to etch the exposed bottom portion more rapidly than the exposed sidewall portion.

Ion implanting the patterned substrate may include ion implanting the exposed bottom portion of the gap in the silicon oxide layer to an interface between the exposed bottom portion and an underlying silicon portion. Ion implanting the patterned substrate may include ion implanting the patterned substrate with one or more of boron, fluorine, water, helium, phosphorus or hydrogen. The exposed bottom portion may etch more rapidly than the exposed sidewall portion by a ratio of at least 15:1. The exposed bottom portion may have a higher dopant concentration than the exposed sidewall portion.

Embodiments of the invention include methods of etching a patterned substrate. The methods include ion implanting the patterned substrate. Ion implanting the patterned substrate includes ion implanting gapfill silicon oxide at the bottom of a gap on the patterned substrate. The methods further include anisotropically etching the patterned substrate such that gapfill silicon oxide etches more rapidly than sidewall silicon oxide.

Ion implanting the patterned substrate may include accelerating ions along a direction into the gap on the patterned substrate. Anisotropically etching the patterned substrate may be a dry-etch process. Ion implanting the patterned substrate may be a local plasma process. Anisotropically etching the patterned substrate removes all the gapfill silicon oxide to expose underlying silicon.

Embodiments of the invention include methods of etching a patterned substrate. The methods include ion implanting the patterned substrate. Ion implanting the patterned substrate includes ion implanting an exposed bottom portion of a gap in a silicon oxide layer on the patterned substrate. The exposed bottom portion and an exposed sidewall portion of the gap each include silicon oxide. The methods further include placing the patterned substrate in a substrate processing region of a substrate processing chamber. The methods further include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into a remote plasma region fluidly coupled to the substrate processing region by way of a showerhead while forming a remote plasma in the remote plasma region to produce plasma effluents. The methods further include flowing water vapor into the substrate processing region without first passing the water vapor through the remote plasma region. The methods further include combining the plasma effluents with the water vapor in the substrate processing region. The methods further include etching the patterned substrate, wherein the operation of etching the patterned substrate etches the exposed bottom portion more rapidly than the exposed sidewall portion.

Flowing water vapor into the substrate processing region may further includes flowing an alcohol into the substrate processing region, also without first passing the alcohol through the remote plasma region. An electron temperature in the substrate processing region during the operation of etching the patterned substrate may be less than 0.5 eV. The water vapor may or may not be excited by any remote plasma formed outside the substrate processing region. The fluorine-containing precursor comprises a precursor selected from the group consisting of atomic fluorine, diatomic fluorine, nitrogen trifluoride, carbon tetrafluoride, hydrogen fluoride and xenon difluoride. The fluorine-containing precursor and the plasma effluents may be essentially devoid of hydrogen.

Additional embodiments and features are set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the specification or may be learned by the practice of the embodiments. The features and advantages of the embodiments may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities, combinations, and methods described in the specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the embodiments may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a self-aligned contact manufacturing process according to embodiments.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D show cross-sectional views of a device at various stages during a self-aligned contact manufacturing process according to embodiments.

FIG. 3A shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate processing chamber according to embodiments.

FIG. 3B shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a substrate processing chamber according to embodiments.

FIG. 3C shows a bottom plan view of a showerhead according to embodiments.

FIG. 4 shows a top plan view of an exemplary substrate processing system according to embodiments.

In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods of forming self-aligned structures on patterned substrates are described. The methods may be used to form metal lines or vias without the use of a separate photolithography pattern definition operation. Self-aligned contacts may be produced with other-than-horizontal penetration in dimensions constrained by a spacer element but also in regions unconstrained by spacer elements. The methods include directionally ion-implanting a gapfill portion of a gapfill silicon oxide layer to implant downward into the gapfill portion without substantially ion-implanting the remainder of the gapfill silicon oxide layer (the sidewalls). Subsequently, a remote plasma is formed using a fluorine-containing precursor to etch the patterned substrate such that exposed horizontal portions (the gapfill portions) of the gapfill silicon oxide layer are selectively etched relative to exposed portions whose exposed surfaces align with the ion implantation direction. Without ion implantation, the etch operation would be isotropic owing to the remote nature of the plasma excitation during the etch process.

Embodiments of the present invention pertain to removal of a gapfill portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer from a patterned substrate in a selective manner to facilitate self-alignment of conducting features. Self-alignment of conducting features removes a photolithography operation which helps control cost and, in embodiments, decrease the space between transistors. Decreasing the space between transistors will extend the lifespan of Moore's law regarding miniaturization rate. Self-aligned processes at short length scales is enabled by developing appropriate etch processes having high selectivity of the appropriate material system. The patterned substrate is ion implanted to dope the gapfill portion of the gapfill silicon oxide layer in a downward direction such that a remote plasma etch may then be used to anisotropically etch the gapfill portion of the gapfill silicon oxide layer. The anisotropic etch removes the gapfill portion vertically (or more generally, other-than-horizontal) from the opening of the gap. Before ion implantation, the gapfill portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer may be referred to herein as unimplanted silicon oxide. After ion implantation, the gapfill portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer will be referred to as implanted silicon oxide. “Top”, “above” and “up” will be used herein to describe portions/directions perpendicularly distal from the substrate plane and further away from the center of mass of the substrate in the perpendicular direction. “Vertical” will be used to describe items aligned in the “up” direction towards the “top”. Other similar terms may be used whose meanings will now be clear.

In order to better understand and appreciate embodiments of the invention, reference is now made to FIG. 1 which is a flow chart of an exemplary self-aligned contact manufacturing process 101. Cross-sectional views of a device 201 at stages throughout self-aligned contact manufacturing process 101 are shown in FIGS. 2A-2D. Device 201 includes silicon 210 which may be single crystalline or polycrystalline silicon (typically referred to as “polysilicon” for brevity). Silicon 210 may include epitaxial single-crystal silicon or polysilicon grown on a base substrate, especially up into the trench according to embodiments. Device 201 is formed on a patterned substrate and further includes gate stack 220 and spacer silicon nitride 230 shown on either side or surrounding gate stack 220 in embodiments.

Spacer silicon nitride 230 forms a gap adjacent to gate stack 220 which contains a “gapfill” portion of silicon 210 (the epitaxially grown portion) and a gapfill portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-1. The gapfill portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-1 is confined on two sides by spacer silicon nitride 230, however, along the orthogonal dimension (into and out of the page) no spacer silicon nitride is present to confine the etching operation. The lack of spacer silicon nitride along the orthogonal dimension makes the directionality of the etching operations described herein beneficial. The gapfill portion (and the ensuing conducting contact) may be longer in orthogonal dimension compared to the width shown in the plane of FIG. 2A in embodiments. A simpler isotropic etch would be sufficient if a spacer silicon nitride surrounded the contact hole/gapfill portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-1. A thickness of the spacer silicon nitride 230 may be less than 10 nm, less than 9 nm or less than 8 nm, in embodiments, making beneficial the high selectivities of the etching operations described herein. The gap will be modified later in exemplary self-aligned contact manufacturing process 101 to make conducting contact to silicon 210. An electrical short between the conducting contact and gate stack 220 may develop if the etch rate of spacer silicon nitride 230 is appreciable. A benefit of manufacturing process 101 is to avoid forming such an electrical short. Another benefit of combining a directional etch with a high selectivity etch is to allow circuit elements to be placed closer together in both dimensions on the plane of the substrate (left-right and into the page of FIG. 2A) to enable further device density scaling in the semiconductor industry.

FIG. 2A shows device 201 at an initial stage which includes mask 250 and a reactive ion etch process is performed to remove an upper portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-1 just above the gapfill portion of silicon oxide layer 240-1 to form gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-2. Removing the portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-1 may expose the gapfill portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-1 but may also expose spacer silicon nitride 230 as shown in FIG. 2B.

The patterned substrate is then placed in an ion implant chamber, which may be a beamline implant chamber or a biased plasma implant chamber. A beamline implant chamber is used in exemplary self-aligned contact manufacturing process 101. Boron is accelerated from the beamline toward the patterned substrate from above in operation 110. Boron is implanted into at least the upper portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-2 and spacer silicon nitride 230. The implantation occurs vertically into the elements of the patterned substrate, according to embodiments, regardless of whether a beamline implant chamber or a biased plasma implant chamber is used to implant the patterned substrate with boron. This may ensure the selectivity has the desired properties described later in exemplary self-aligned contact manufacturing process 101 in embodiments. Generally speaking, the patterned substrate may be implanted with one or more of boron, fluorine, water, helium, phosphorus or hydrogen.

The patterned substrate is then placed in a substrate processing region in operation 120. A flow of nitrogen trifluoride is then introduced into a separate plasma region (operation 130 of anisotropic etch process 101) where the nitrogen trifluoride is excited in a remote plasma struck within the separate plasma region. The separate plasma region may be referred to as a remote plasma region herein and may be within a distinct module from the processing chamber or a compartment within the processing chamber separated from the substrate processing region by a permeable barrier. In general, a fluorine-containing precursor may be flowed into the remote plasma region and the fluorine-containing precursor comprises at least one precursor selected from the group consisting of atomic fluorine, diatomic fluorine, bromine trifluoride, chlorine trifluoride, nitrogen trifluoride, hydrogen fluoride, fluorinated hydrocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride and xenon difluoride.

Continuing with embodiments of exemplary self-aligned contact manufacturing process 101, the plasma effluents formed in the remote plasma region are then flowed into the substrate processing region (operation 140) and combined with water vapor (H₂O) which may be simultaneously flowed into the substrate processing region in embodiments. The plasma effluents may enter the substrate processing region through through-holes in a showerhead which separates the remote plasma region from the substrate processing region and keeps water vapor from flowing back up into the remote plasma region. The water vapor is not passed through the remote plasma region and therefore is only excited by interaction with the plasma effluents. According to embodiments, the water vapor is not passed through any plasma prior to entering the substrate processing region.

The water vapor and the plasma effluents combine to etch the patterned substrate in operation 150 selectively and in a vertical direction. Generally speaking, the etch may proceed in any other-than-horizontal direction aligned with the ion implantation direction. The etch removes the (now boron-doped) gapfill portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-2 to form gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-3 and progresses in a downward direction. The etch may be described as self-limiting since etch progress slows down so markedly after the doped portion of gapfill silicon oxide is consumed. Exemplary self-aligned contact manufacturing process 101 may therefore be referred to as an anisotropic etch process since etch 101 retains some silicon oxide (the sidewalls) while etching the gapfill silicon oxide. The gapfill portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-2 is implanted with boron and etches much more rapidly than the sidewalls which have not been implanted or too a far less extent according to embodiments. FIG. 2C shows the profile of device 201 following operation 150. The reactive chemical species are removed from the substrate processing region and then the substrate is removed from the substrate processing region. The remote plasma region may be devoid of hydrogen during operations 130-150 of exemplary self-aligned contact manufacturing process 101.

The gapfill portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-1 may be confined on two sides by spacer silicon nitride 230 and the confinement may be vertical or along a direction other-than-horizontal. The ion implantation direction may be selected to align with the other-than-horizontal direction to ensure adequate doping of the gapfill portion. Along the orthogonal dimension (into and out of the page) no spacer silicon nitride is present and the alignment may or may not be vertical but is certainly other-than-horizontal in the orthogonal dimension as well. The directionality of the etching operations described herein may be tightly controlled by the use of plasma implant chambers in implant operation 110. The critical dimension in the orthogonal dimension may increase by less than 2 nm, less than 1.5 nm or less than 1 nm from the dimensions of the ion implanted gapfill portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-2. The benefit of the tight tolerances is an increase in packing density of devices (e.g. transistors) on the resulting integrated circuit.

Gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-3 may have no gapfill portion (see FIG. 2C), in embodiments, but will be referred to as a “gapfill” silicon oxide layer for continuity and simplicity. The complete removal of the gapfill portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-2 may be facilitated by ensuring that the dopant (e.g. boron in the example) is implanted all the way through the gapfill portion during operation 110. Some devices 201 may benefit from avoidance of excessive boron doping of silicon 210 or, at least, by controlling how much and how deep the boron dopant penetrates. Ion implantation depths may be adjusted by selecting an appropriate accelerating voltage for the dopant and the depth of the gapfill portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-2. These adjustments may be made regardless of whether a beamline implant chamber a plasma implant chamber is used. A conducting layer (e.g. tungsten) is then deposited in the gap and polished to form the device 201 shown in FIG. 2D. The resulting conducting other-than-horizontal (e.g. vertical) connection may be referred to as a contact, a plug (e.g. a tungsten plug in the example) and is sometimes called a via. A layer of metal silicide (e.g. nickel silicide), titanium and/or titanium nitride may be formed prior to the deposition of tungsten for the tungsten plug. The plug may be formed over a source and/or drain portions of a transistor.

The dopant concentration (e.g. boron in the example) may have a weight percentage of greater than 1%, greater than 2%, greater than 3% or greater than 4% of the gapfill portion of the gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-2 according to embodiments. The gapfill portion may alternatively be referred to as the exposed bottom portion of the gap. The dopant concentration may have an absolute concentration of greater than 2×10²⁰, greater than 5×10²⁰, greater than 1×10²¹ or greater than 2×10²¹ atoms per cubic centimeter in embodiments. Before ion implantation, the exposed bottom portion of the gap may be referred to as unimplanted silicon oxide and may have a dopant concentration below 0.5%, below 0.1%, below 0.02% or below 0.001% (weight percent) according to embodiments. The exposed bottom portion (and the exposed sidewall portion) prior to implantation may have an absolute dopant concentration less than 1×10²⁰, less than 2×10¹⁹, less than 5×10¹⁸ or less than 1×10¹⁸ atoms per cubic centimeter in embodiments. The exposed sidewall portion following implantation may have a dopant concentration below 1%, below 0.5%, below 0.1% or below 0.02% (weight percent) according to embodiments. The exposed sidewall portion following implantation may have an absolute dopant concentration less than 2×10²⁰, less than 1×10²⁰, less than 2×10¹⁹ or less than 5×10¹⁸ atoms per cubic centimeter in embodiments. The thickness of the gapfill portion of the gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-2 may be between 100 Å and 2000 Å, between 200 Å and 1500 Å or between 300 Å and 1000 Å according to embodiments. The depth of ion implantation may be within 30%, within 20% or within 10% of the thickness of the gapfill portion of the gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-2 to ensure adequate removal of the gapfill portion and to limit implantation of any underlying silicon 210.

Exemplary self-aligned contact manufacturing process 101 used a traditional beamline implant chamber for ion implantation operation 110. More and more, plasma implant chambers are being used which form a local plasma configured to bias ions toward the patterned substrate. Regardless of which chamber is used, a dopant precursor may be flowed into the beamline implant chamber or the plasma implant chamber to dope the precursor with one or more of boron, fluorine, water, helium, phosphorus or hydrogen, in embodiments, and the dopant precursor may comprise one or more of boron, fluorine, water, helium, phosphorus or hydrogen. When a plasma implant chamber is used, operation 110 includes applying energy to the dopant source (e.g. a boron-containing precursor) while in the biased plasma implant chamber to generate the ions used to implant the patterned substrate (operation 110). The plasma may be generated using known techniques (e.g., radio frequency excitations, capacitively-coupled power, inductively coupled power, etc.). The energy may be applied as a local plasma power to a capacitively-coupled plasma unit. The local plasma power may be between about 10 watts and about 500 watts, between about 20 watts and about 400 watts, between about 30 watts and about 300 watts, or between about 50 watts and about 200 watts according to embodiments. Plasma power and operating pressure may be used to adjust the current and kinetic energy of impinging ions and may be used to adjust the dimensions of the gapfill portion of gapfill silicon oxide layer 240-2.

A DC accelerating voltage may also be applied such that positive boron-containing ions formed in the local plasma are further accelerated in the direction of the patterned substrate. For example, the local plasma may be formed by applying a DC bias power such that the local plasma power comprises both an AC portion and a DC portion. The DC bias power supplies a DC accelerating voltage which may be greater than 400 volts, greater than 500 volts, greater than 600 volts, or greater than 700 volts in embodiments. The DC voltage may be less than 2000 volts, less than 1500 volts, less than 1300 volts or less than 1100 volts to preserve integrity of exposed delicate features. The pressure in the biased plasma implant chamber may be between about 0.5 mTorr and about 50 mTorr, between about 2 mTorr and about 200 mTorr or between about 5 mTorr and about 100 mTorr according to embodiments.

Exemplary self-aligned contact manufacturing process 101 also includes applying energy to the fluorine-containing precursor while in the remote plasma region to generate the plasma effluents (operation 130). As would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the plasma may include a number of charged and neutral species including radicals and ions. The plasma may be generated using known techniques (e.g., radio frequency excitations, capacitively-coupled power, inductively coupled power, etc.). In the example, the energy is applied using a capacitively-coupled plasma unit. The remote plasma source power may be between about 10 watts and about 5000 watts, between about 100 watts and about 3000 watts, between about 250 watts and about 2000 watts, or between about 500 watts and about 1500 watts in embodiments. The pressure in the remote plasma region and/or the pressure in the substrate processing region may be between 0.01 Torr and 50 Torr or between 0.1 Torr and 5 Torr according to embodiments. The RF frequency applied for either the local or remote plasmas described herein may be low RF frequencies less than 200 kHz, high RF frequencies between 10 MHz and 15 MHz, or microwave frequencies greater than 1 GHz in embodiments.

The methods presented herein exhibit high etch selectivity of doped gapfill silicon oxide material relative to sidewall silicon oxide material according to embodiments. The etch selectivity of the doped gapfill silicon oxide material relative to the sidewall silicon oxide material may be greater than 15:1, greater than 30:1 or greater than 40:1 according to embodiments. The etch selectivity of the doped gapfill silicon oxide material relative to the exposed silicon nitride material may be greater than 25:1, greater than 40:1 or greater than 50:1 according to embodiments. The etch selectivity of the doped gapfill silicon oxide material relative to the exposed silicon material (once the gapfill silicon oxide has been removed) may be greater than 50:1, greater than 75:1 or greater than 100:1 according to embodiments.

The flow of the dopant precursor into the local plasma of the plasma implant chamber and the flow of the fluorine-containing precursor into the remote plasma of the etch chamber each may further include one or more relatively inert gases such as He, N₂, Ar. The inert gas can be used to improve plasma stability plasma strikability and/or process uniformity. Argon is helpful, as an additive, to promote the formation of a stable plasma. Process uniformity is generally increased when helium is included. These additives are present in embodiments throughout this specification. Flow rates and ratios of the gases may be used to control etch rates and dopant characteristics and etch selectivity.

The examples presented herein involved the formation of a contact which is a low-aspect ratio gap as viewed from above. Generally speaking, the gaps in the patterned substrates etched according to the embodiments described herein may be a via or a trench. The via may be a low aspect ratio gap and may be, e.g., circular as viewed from above the patterned substrate laying flat. The trench may be a high aspect ratio gap with a length to width ratio of at least 10:1. A width of the via may be less than 30 nm, less than 25 nm, less than 20 nm or less than 15 nm according to embodiments. A depth of the via may be greater than 10 nm, greater than 15 nm, greater than 20 nm or greater than 25 nm in embodiments. The depth of the via includes the portion between the spacers (e.g. silicon nitride). A width of the trench may be less than 40 nm, less than 35 nm, less than 20 nm or less than 15 nm in embodiments. A depth of the trench may be greater than 15 nm, greater than 20 nm, greater than 25 nm or greater than 30 nm according to embodiments.

In embodiments, an ion suppressor (which may be the showerhead) may be used to provide radical and/or neutral species for gas-phase etching. The ion suppressor may also be referred to as an ion suppression element. In embodiments, for example, the ion suppressor is used to filter etching plasma effluents en route from the remote plasma region to the substrate processing region. The ion suppressor may be used to provide a reactive gas having a higher concentration of radicals than ions. Plasma effluents pass through the ion suppressor disposed between the remote plasma region and the substrate processing region. The ion suppressor functions to dramatically reduce or substantially eliminate ionic species traveling from the plasma generation region to the substrate. The ion suppressors described herein are simply one way to achieve a low electron temperature in the substrate processing region during the gas-phase etch processes described herein.

In embodiments, an electron beam is passed through the substrate processing region in a plane parallel to the substrate to reduce the electron temperature of the plasma effluents. A simpler showerhead may be used if an electron beam is applied in this manner. The electron beam may be passed as a laminar sheet disposed above the substrate in embodiments. The electron beam provides a source of neutralizing negative charge and provides a more active means for reducing the flow of positively charged ions towards the substrate and increasing the etch selectivity in embodiments. The flow of plasma effluents and various parameters governing the operation of the electron beam may be adjusted to lower the electron temperature measured in the substrate processing region.

The electron temperature may be measured using a Langmuir probe in the substrate processing region during excitation of a plasma in the remote plasma. In embodiments, the electron temperature may be less than 0.5 eV, less than 0.45 eV, less than 0.4 eV, or less than 0.35 eV. These extremely low values for the electron temperature are enabled by the presence of the electron beam, showerhead and/or the ion suppressor. Uncharged neutral and radical species may pass through the electron beam and/or the openings in the ion suppressor to react at the substrate. Such a process using radicals and other neutral species can reduce plasma damage compared to conventional plasma etch processes that include sputtering and bombardment. Embodiments of the present invention are also advantageous over conventional wet etch processes where surface tension of liquids can cause bending and peeling of small features.

The substrate processing region may be described herein as “plasma-free” during the etch processes described herein. “Plasma-free” does not necessarily mean the region is devoid of plasma. Ionized species and free electrons created within the plasma region may travel through pores (apertures) in the partition (showerhead) at exceedingly small concentrations. The borders of the plasma in the chamber plasma region may encroach to some small degree upon the substrate processing region through the apertures in the showerhead. Furthermore, a low intensity plasma may be created in the substrate processing region without eliminating desirable features of the etch processes described herein. All causes for a plasma having much lower intensity ion density than the chamber plasma region during the creation of the excited plasma effluents do not deviate from the scope of “plasma-free” as used herein.

FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional view of an exemplary substrate processing chamber 1001 with a partitioned plasma generation region within the processing chamber. During film etching, a process gas may be flowed into chamber plasma region 1015 through a gas inlet assembly 1005. A remote plasma system (RPS) 1002 may optionally be included in the system, and may process a first gas which then travels through gas inlet assembly 1005. The process gas may be excited within RPS 1002 prior to entering chamber plasma region 1015. Accordingly, the fluorine-containing precursor as discussed above, for example, may pass through RPS 1002 or bypass the RPS unit in embodiments.

A cooling plate 1003, faceplate 1017, ion suppressor 1023, showerhead 1025, and a substrate support 1065 (also known as a pedestal), having a substrate 1055 disposed thereon, are shown and may each be included according to embodiments. Pedestal 1065 may have a heat exchange channel through which a heat exchange fluid flows to control the temperature of the substrate. This configuration may allow the substrate 1055 temperature to be cooled or heated to maintain relatively low temperatures, such as between −20° C. to 200° C. Pedestal 1065 may also be resistively heated to relatively high temperatures, such as between 100° C. and 1100° C., using an embedded heater element.

Exemplary configurations may include having the gas inlet assembly 1005 open into a gas supply region 1058 partitioned from the chamber plasma region 1015 by faceplate 1017 so that the gases/species flow through the holes in the faceplate 1017 into the chamber plasma region 1015. Structural and operational features may be selected to prevent significant backflow of plasma from the chamber plasma region 1015 back into the supply region 1058, gas inlet assembly 1005, and fluid supply system 1010. The structural features may include the selection of dimensions and cross-sectional geometries of the apertures in faceplate 1017 to deactivate back-streaming plasma. The operational features may include maintaining a pressure difference between the gas supply region 1058 and chamber plasma region 1015 that maintains a unidirectional flow of plasma through the showerhead 1025. The faceplate 1017, or a conductive top portion of the chamber, and showerhead 1025 are shown with an insulating ring 1020 located between the features, which allows an AC potential to be applied to the faceplate 1017 relative to showerhead 1025 and/or ion suppressor 1023. The insulating ring 1020 may be positioned between the faceplate 1017 and the showerhead 1025 and/or ion suppressor 1023 enabling a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) to be formed in the chamber plasma region.

The plurality of holes in the ion suppressor 1023 may be configured to control the passage of the activated gas, i.e., the ionic, radical, and/or neutral species, through the ion suppressor 1023. For example, the aspect ratio of the holes, or the hole diameter to length, and/or the geometry of the holes may be controlled so that the flow of ionically-charged species in the activated gas passing through the ion suppressor 1023 is reduced. The holes in the ion suppressor 1023 may include a tapered portion that faces chamber plasma region 1015, and a cylindrical portion that faces the showerhead 1025. The cylindrical portion may be shaped and dimensioned to control the flow of ionic species passing to the showerhead 1025. An adjustable electrical bias may also be applied to the ion suppressor 1023 as an additional means to control the flow of ionic species through the suppressor. The ion suppression element 1023 may function to reduce or eliminate the amount of ionically charged species traveling from the plasma generation region to the substrate. Uncharged neutral and radical species may still pass through the openings in the ion suppressor to react with the substrate.

Plasma power can be of a variety of frequencies or a combination of multiple frequencies. In the exemplary processing system the plasma may be provided by RF power delivered to faceplate 1017 relative to ion suppressor 1023 and/or showerhead 1025. The RF power may be between about 10 watts and about 5000 watts, between about 100 watts and about 2000 watts, between about 200 watts and about 1500 watts, or between about 200 watts and about 1000 watts in embodiments. The RF frequency applied in the exemplary processing system may be low RF frequencies less than 200 kHz, high RF frequencies between 10 MHz and 15 MHz, or microwave frequencies greater than 1 GHz in embodiments. The plasma power may be capacitively-coupled (CCP) or inductively-coupled (ICP) into the remote plasma region.

A precursor, for example a fluorine-containing precursor may be flowed into substrate processing region 1033 by embodiments of the showerhead described herein. Excited species derived from the process gas in chamber plasma region 1015 may travel through apertures in the ion suppressor 1023, and/or showerhead 1025 and react with a supplementary unexcited precursor (e.g. water vapor) flowing into substrate processing region 1033 from a separate portion of the showerhead. Little or no plasma may be present in substrate processing region 1033 during the remote plasma etch process. Excited derivatives of the precursors may combine in the region above the substrate and/or on the substrate to etch structures or remove species from the substrate. The supplementary unexcited precursor may be an alcohol or water vapor (H₂O) to improve the etch selectivity of silicon oxide in embodiments. The supplementary unexcited precursor may be a hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing precursor and may contain an O—H bond according to embodiments. The supplementary unexcited precursor may be a combination of water vapor and alcohol, in embodiments, which helps retain structure of extremely delicate features while retaining the high doped silicon oxide etch rate.

The processing gases may be excited in chamber plasma region 1015 and may be passed through the showerhead 1025 to substrate processing region 1033 in the excited state. While a plasma may be generated in substrate processing region 1033, a plasma may alternatively not be generated in the processing region. In one example, the only excitation of the processing gas or precursors may be from exciting the processing gases in chamber plasma region 1015 to react with one another in substrate processing region 1033. As previously discussed, this may be to protect the structures patterned on substrate 1055.

FIG. 3B shows a detailed view of the features affecting the processing gas distribution through faceplate 1017. The gas distribution assemblies such as showerhead 1025 for use in the processing chamber section 1001 may be referred to as dual channel showerheads (DCSH) and are additionally detailed in the embodiments described in FIG. 3A as well as FIG. 3C herein. The dual channel showerhead may provide for etching processes that allow for separation of etchants outside of the processing region 1033 to provide limited interaction with chamber components and each other prior to being delivered into the processing region.

The showerhead 1025 may comprise an upper plate 1014 and a lower plate 1016. The plates may be coupled with one another to define a volume 1018 between the plates. The coupling of the plates may be so as to provide first fluid channels 1019 through the upper and lower plates, and second fluid channels 1021 through the lower plate 1016. The formed channels may be configured to provide fluid access from the volume 1018 through the lower plate 1016 via second fluid channels 1021 alone, and the first fluid channels 1019 may be fluidly isolated from the volume 1018 between the plates and the second fluid channels 1021. The volume 1018 may be fluidly accessible through a side of the gas distribution assembly 1025. Although the exemplary system of FIGS. 3A-3C includes a dual-channel showerhead, it is understood that alternative distribution assemblies may be utilized that maintain first and second precursors fluidly isolated prior to substrate processing region 1033. For example, a perforated plate and tubes underneath the plate may be utilized, although other configurations may operate with reduced efficiency or not provide as uniform processing as the dual-channel showerhead described.

In the embodiment shown, showerhead 1025 may distribute via first fluid channels 1019 process gases which contain plasma effluents upon excitation by a plasma in chamber plasma region 1015. In embodiments, the process gas introduced into RPS 1002 and/or chamber plasma region 1015 may contain fluorine, e.g., NF₃. The process gas may also include a carrier gas such as helium, argon, nitrogen (N₂), etc. Plasma effluents may include ionized or neutral derivatives of the process gas and may also be referred to herein as a radical-fluorine precursor referring to the atomic constituent of the process gas introduced into substrate processing region 1033.

FIG. 3C is a bottom view of a showerhead 1025 for use with a processing chamber in embodiments. Showerhead 1025 corresponds with the showerhead shown in FIG. 3A. Through-holes 1031, which show a view of first fluid channels 1019, may have a plurality of shapes and configurations to control and affect the flow of precursors through the showerhead 1025. Small holes 1027, which show a view of second fluid channels 1021, may be distributed substantially evenly over the surface of the showerhead, even amongst the through-holes 1031, which may help to provide more even mixing of the precursors as they exit the showerhead than other configurations.

The chamber plasma region 1015 or a region in an RPS may be referred to as a remote plasma region. In embodiments, the radical-fluorine precursor is created in the remote plasma region and travel into the substrate processing region to combine with a supplementary unexcited precursor. In embodiments, the supplementary unexcited precursor is excited only by the radical-fluorine and the rest of the plasma effluents. Plasma power may essentially be applied only to the remote plasma region in embodiments to ensure that the radical-fluorine provides the dominant excitation.

Embodiments of the dry etch systems may be incorporated into larger fabrication systems for producing integrated circuit chips. FIG. 4 shows one such processing system (mainframe) 1101 of deposition, etching, baking, and curing chambers in embodiments. In the figure, a pair of front opening unified pods (load lock chambers 1102) supply substrates of a variety of sizes that are received by robotic arms 1104 and placed into a low pressure holding area 1106 before being placed into one of the substrate processing chambers 1108 a-f. A second robotic arm 1110 may be used to transport the substrate wafers from the holding area 1106 to the substrate processing chambers 1108 a-f and back. Each substrate processing chamber 1108 a-f, can be outfitted to perform a number of substrate processing operations including the dry etch processes described herein in addition to cyclical layer deposition (CLD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), etch, pre-clean, degas, orientation, and other substrate processes.

Nitrogen trifluoride (or another fluorine-containing precursor) may be flowed into chamber plasma region 1020 at rates between about 1 sccm and about 400 sccm, between about 3 sccm and about 250 sccm or between about 5 sccm and about 100 sccm in embodiments. Helium may be flowed into chamber plasma region 1020 at a flow rate of between 0 slm (standard liters per minute) and 3 slm, and nitrogen (N₂) at a flow rate of between 0 slm and 3 slm in embodiments. A supplementary unexcited precursor (e.g. water vapor) may be flowed directly into substrate processing region 1070 at rates between 1 sccm and 400 sccm, between 5 sccm and 100 sccm, between 10 sccm and 50 sccm or between 15 sccm and 25 sccm according to embodiments. In embodiments, the dopant precursor is supplied into the plasma implant chamber at a flow rate of between about 5 sccm (standard cubic centimeters per minute) and 400 sccm, He at a flow rate of between about 0 slm (standard liters per minute) and 3 slm, and N₂ at a flow rate of between about 0 slm and 3 slm in embodiments. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that other gases and/or flows may be used depending on a number of factors including processing chamber configuration, substrate size, and/or geometry and layout of features being etched. The temperature of the substrate may be between about −20° C. and about 200° C., in embodiments, during both the ion implantation and the etching processes described herein.

The showerhead may be referred to as a dual-channel showerhead as a result of the two distinct pathways into the substrate processing region. The radical-fluorine may be flowed through the through-holes in the dual-zone showerhead and any unexcited precursor may pass through separate zones in the dual-zone showerhead. The separate zones may open into the substrate processing region but not into the remote plasma region as described above.

Combined flow rates of plasma effluents into the substrate processing region may account for 0.05% to about 20% by volume of the overall gas mixture; the remainder being carrier gases. The fluorine-containing precursor flowed into the remote plasma region has the same volumetric flow ratio as the radical-fluorine or the plasma effluents in embodiments. In the case of the fluorine-containing precursor, a purge or carrier gas may be first initiated into the remote plasma region before that of the fluorine-containing gas to stabilize the pressure within the remote plasma region.

In the preceding description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous details have been set forth to provide an understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that certain embodiments may be practiced without some of these details, or with additional details.

As used herein “substrate” may be a support substrate with or without layers formed thereon. The patterned substrate may be an insulator or a semiconductor of a variety of doping concentrations and profiles and may, for example, be a semiconductor substrate of the type used in the manufacture of integrated circuits. Exposed “silicon” of the patterned substrate is predominantly silicon but may include minority concentrations of other elemental constituents such as nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen or carbon. Exposed “silicon” may consist of or consist essentially of silicon. Exposed “silicon nitride” of the patterned substrate is predominantly Si₃N₄ but may include minority concentrations of other elemental constituents such as oxygen, hydrogen and carbon. “Exposed silicon nitride” may consist essentially of or consist of silicon and nitrogen. Exposed “silicon oxide” of the patterned substrate is predominantly SiO₂ but may include minority concentrations of other elemental constituents such as nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon and the other dopants described herein. In embodiments, silicon oxide films etched using the methods taught herein consist essentially of or consist of silicon and oxygen. Exposed “tungsten” of the patterned substrate is predominantly tungsten but may include minority concentration of other elemental constituents such as nitrogen, silicon, oxygen, hydrogen and carbon. In embodiments, tungsten films consist essentially of or consist of tungsten. Exposed “nickel silicide” of the patterned substrate is predominantly nickel and silicon but may include minority concentration of other elemental constituents such as nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen and carbon. In embodiments, nickel silicide films consist essentially of or consist of nickel and silicon. Nickel silicide and tungsten are examples of metal-containing films as used herein. The definition of other metal-containing films such as “titanium” and “titanium nitride” follow analogous definitions and will now be understood from these representative examples.

The term “precursor” is used to refer to any process gas which takes part in a reaction to either remove material from or deposit material onto a surface. “Plasma effluents” describe gas exiting from the chamber plasma region and entering the substrate processing region. Plasma effluents are in an “excited state” wherein at least some of the gas molecules are in vibrationally-excited, dissociated and/or ionized states. A “radical precursor” is used to describe plasma effluents (a gas in an excited state which is exiting a plasma) which participate in a reaction to either remove material from or deposit material on a surface. “Radical-fluorine” are radical precursors which contain fluorine but may contain other elemental constituents. “Radical-oxygen-hydrogen” may contain oxygen and hydrogen but may contain other elementary constituents. The phrase “inert gas” refers to any gas which does not form chemical bonds when etching or being incorporated into a film. Exemplary inert gases include noble gases but may include other gases so long as no chemical bonds are formed when (typically) trace amounts are trapped in a film.

The term “gap” is used throughout with no implication that the etched geometry has a large horizontal aspect ratio. Viewed from above the surface, gaps may appear circular, oval, polygonal, rectangular, or a variety of other shapes. A gap may be in the shape of a moat around an island of material. The term “via” is used to refer to a low aspect ratio gap (as viewed from above) which may or may not be filled with metal to form an other-than-horizontal electrical connection. The term “trench” is used to refer to a high aspect ratio gap (as viewed from above) with an aspect ratio of at least 10:1 (length:width). As used herein, a conformal etch process refers to a generally uniform removal of material on a surface in the same shape as the surface, i.e., the surface of the etched layer and the pre-etch surface are generally parallel. A person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the etched interface likely cannot be 100% conformal and thus the term “generally” allows for acceptable tolerances.

Having disclosed several embodiments, it will be recognized by those of skill in the art that various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the disclosed embodiments. Additionally, a number of well-known processes and elements have not been described to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. Accordingly, the above description should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention.

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limits of that range is also specifically disclosed. Each smaller range between any stated value or intervening value in a stated range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range is encompassed. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included or excluded in the range, and each range where either, neither or both limits are included in the smaller ranges is also encompassed within the invention, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included.

As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a process” includes a plurality of such processes and reference to “the dielectric material” includes reference to one or more dielectric materials and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth.

Also, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” “include,” “including,” and “includes” when used in this specification and in the following claims are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, components, or steps, but they do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, components, steps, acts, or groups. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of etching a patterned substrate, the method comprising: ion implanting the patterned substrate, wherein ion implanting the patterned substrate comprises ion implanting an exposed bottom portion of a gap in a silicon oxide layer on the patterned substrate, wherein the exposed bottom portion and an exposed sidewall portion of the gap each comprise silicon oxide; flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into a remote plasma region fluidly coupled to a substrate processing region by way of a showerhead while forming a remote plasma in the remote plasma region to produce plasma effluents; flowing a hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing precursor into the substrate processing region without first passing the hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing precursor through the remote plasma region, wherein the hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing precursor comprises an O—H bond; combining the plasma effluents with the hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing precursor in the substrate processing region to etch the exposed bottom portion more rapidly than the exposed sidewall portion.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the operation of ion implanting the patterned substrate comprises ion implanting the exposed bottom portion of the gap in the silicon oxide layer to an interface between the exposed bottom portion and an underlying silicon portion.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the operation of ion implanting the patterned substrate comprises ion implanting the patterned substrate with one or more of boron, fluorine, water, helium, phosphorus or hydrogen.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the exposed bottom portion etches more rapidly than the exposed sidewall portion by a ratio of at least 15:1.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the exposed bottom portion possesses a higher dopant concentration than the exposed sidewall portion.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the operation of ion implanting the patterned substrate is a self-limiting etch which stops after the exposed bottom portion is removed despite a continued presence of the plasma effluents.
 7. A method of etching a patterned substrate, the method comprising: ion implanting the patterned substrate, wherein ion implanting the patterned substrate comprises ion implanting gapfill silicon oxide at the bottom of a gap on the patterned substrate along an ion implantation direction; and anisotropically etching the patterned substrate such that gapfill silicon oxide etches more rapidly than sidewall silicon oxide.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the operation of ion implanting the patterned substrate comprises accelerating ions vertically into the gap on the patterned substrate.
 9. The method of claim 7 wherein the operation of anisotropically etching the patterned substrate is a dry-etch process.
 10. The method of claim 7 wherein the operation of anisotropically etching the patterned substrate removes all the gapfill silicon oxide and exposes underlying silicon.
 11. The method of claim 7 wherein the operation of ion implanting the patterned substrate is a local plasma process.
 12. A method of etching a patterned substrate, the method comprising: ion implanting the patterned substrate, wherein ion implanting the patterned substrate comprises ion implanting an exposed bottom portion of a gap in a silicon oxide layer on the patterned substrate, wherein the exposed bottom portion and an exposed sidewall portion of the gap each comprise silicon oxide; placing the patterned substrate in a substrate processing region of a substrate processing chamber; flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into a remote plasma region fluidly coupled to the substrate processing region by way of a showerhead while forming a remote plasma in the remote plasma region to produce plasma effluents; flowing water vapor into the substrate processing region without first passing the water vapor through the remote plasma region; combining the plasma effluents with the water vapor in the substrate processing region; and etching the patterned substrate, wherein the operation of etching the patterned substrate etches the exposed bottom portion more rapidly than the exposed sidewall portion.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the operation of flowing water vapor into the substrate processing region further comprises flowing an alcohol into the substrate processing region, also without first passing the alcohol through the remote plasma region.
 14. The method of claim 12 wherein an electron temperature in the substrate processing region during the operation of etching the patterned substrate is less than 0.5 eV.
 15. The method of claim 12 wherein the water vapor is not excited by any remote plasma formed outside the substrate processing region.
 16. The method of claim 12 wherein the fluorine-containing precursor comprises a precursor selected from the group consisting of atomic fluorine, diatomic fluorine, nitrogen trifluoride, carbon tetrafluoride, hydrogen fluoride and xenon difluoride.
 17. The method of claim 12 wherein the fluorine-containing precursor and the plasma effluents are essentially devoid of hydrogen. 